i have a 2 year old old tyme bulldog cross staff he is a nice big dog i took him out for a walk i was rideing my bike but he dont seem to have the engery to keep up with me and i wasnt rideing that fast the people i got him from was feeding him bakers and he was farting alot i change hes food to harringtons which my bitch eats and he has stop farting but what can i add to hes food to help him have more energy and muscle tone and also when i got to stroke him on the head he flintches and closes hes eyes he has a really good temperment he dont jump up at people and when other dogs pass him or bark and grow at him he dont take any notice

Your dog should see a vet if you are worried and I think you should be a dog of 2 years should be bouncing about, mind you I am not sure that all dogs would be able to or wish to run after a bike.

> i took him out for a walk i was rideing my bike

You weren't taking him out for a walk then.  Have you tried walking with him instead of asking him to try and keep up. 

If he flinches - he's frightened.  Buying an adult, you won't know what has caused this fear.  I suggest that you are gentle with him, and earn his trust.  Approach him with a hand that goes under, and strokes his chest, it won't appear so threatening to him.

> i was rideing my bike but he dont seem to have the engery to keep up with me

How far are you expecting him to go? Some dogs just don't have the capacity to keep going at a constant speed for a period of time, its not in their make up. Is this something you've recently embarked on? If so then maybe slowly build it up. But you do sound worried about your boy, so i'd look to get him checked over by the vet for peace of mind!!

yes i have walked with him an hes fine walking and running really well so when i went out on my bike with him i thought he would like it it was about 5 miles to were i was going and 5 miles back home i just think hes previous owners didnt really walk him because for the first few days i had him he would just lay there all day and when i tryed playing with him he wouldnt bother but now he does and he seems alot happier with me then when i first got him

10 miles is a heck of a distance to go without gradually building up the distance you take him. How fast was he going, and on what surface? Anything more than a trot is excessive for distance travelling.

Daryl, if his previous owners didn't really walk him, no wonder he can't keep up on a "run". You need to gradually increase his exercise. Plus, although its been quite overcast recently, its still quite humid which can cause some dogs to struggle.

Have to agree with JG, 10 miles for a crossbreed of unknown background it too much, there are some breeds that would undertake this sort of exercise with out too much training but I can't see a staffie cross doing it.

Check with the vet your dog is fit and then start with short rides of a few yards and build up - mind you if the bike scares him I would stop now and continue the exercise on a lead with you walking or trotting.

Or jog (not run!) with him yourself - you're unlikely to go too far or too fast for him.

> about 5 miles to were i was going and 5 miles back home

10miles running is excessive, especially for this type of crossbreed.. Terriers were built for speed, in short bursts, not endurance...

even for a breed bred for endurance.. Dalmatians, Huskies, Malamutes etc.. the build up to this sort of distance could take up to 2 years to reach..

I would never dream of working a bull or terrier breed this hard, to this extent, especially when they have not been used to it... a heart attack waiting to happen :-(

I have a breed built for stamina, but in the current weather no way would I go anywhere near that distance, and only take the dogs out when ti is cool, which is mainly after 10pm at night or very early mornings.

10 miles would take about 3 hours for a normal walk, so an awful lot more exercise than most dogs are likely to be used to, a lot for any dog, so something to build up to taking weather into account.

Even a full Staffy would have trouble keeping up with a bicycle - they are heavy for their size, your dog would be heavier, you don't say what went into the 'old tyme', but my guess would be bulldog and mastiff, neither of these dogs would be considered fast over long distances, so I feel you are expecting far too much from this dog, far too soon.  Add to this the humid, warm weather and you're lucky that your dog hasn't collapsed.

You must be fairly fit to cycle this far, so why not see how you go running alongside a cycle for the same distance?  :)  you might gain some idea of what you are asking of this dog.

Any dog would need to go slowly when taking on new exercise, and some dogs are just not built for running with a bike ;)

I have a breed that can run for hours and will keep up with a bicycle on shorter distances, but not in this weather, it's too warm and humid - and not for 10 miles!

To get your dog fitter, why not do as athletes do and take him jogging (forget the bike) for 2 or three sessions a day, for 5 minutes at first, building up to 10 or 15 minutes eventually, it's far kinder to him ;)   but remember to do this early in the morning, before it gets warm and after 10pm ;)

I have Mals and Ceds and woukld never dream of running the beside my bike/scooter at the moment.It is not the heat so much but the humidity and believe me this can be a killer.Add to the mix that its a cross breed that has breathing difficulties at times I think it would be wise to drop the frenetic exercise.Many in our breed only ever walk our dogs at stupid times when its much cooler.But it is possitive that you want to give your dog stimulating exercise,just not so much.
As for food,drop the Bakers,too many additives and general rubbish.Go for one of the better premium foods,they aren't necessarily expensive.

Exercise wise take it very gradually.  I cycle with one of my own dogs and when I started it I built it up very gradually.  First off we would go around the block - just under a mile and did this very slowly for her, I then kept the same distance but built up the speed - still only a gently trot though.  Once she coped extremely well with this I added another 5 mins to the walk and so on.  Also if she was on hard ground I would make sure her pads were well looked after as soon as we were back from a walk.